Russia is now negotiating the possibility of delivering Yak-130 jets to Malaysia.
"There is a possibility of promoting and supplying this aircraft to the Malaysian market… Prime Minister [of Malaysia Mahathir Bin Mohamad] and I discussed the possibility of industrial cooperation on this issue. Here in Malaysia, a service centre will be engaged in maintenance and repair work. Maybe in the future we will consider some options to assemble such aircraft here. [For example, we could] make a regional centre here that would support the entire grouping of aircraft in the Southeast Asia region", Slyusar said after meeting with Mohamad.
The Yak-130 is a two-seat combat trainer aircraft produced by the Irkut Corporation, part of the United Aircraft Corporation. Russia successfully exports these jets to a number of foreign countries, including Myanmar and Laos.
READ MORE: Russia to Showcase Yak-130 Jets During LIMA-2019 at Malaysia's Request — Source
On Tuesday the Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) begins in Langkawi, Malaysia and will continue until 30 March. It has been held once every two years since 1991 and is considered one of the largest shows of military equipment in the Asia Pacific region. The event is co-organised by the Malaysian Defence Ministry.